1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus configured to execute printing using a preprint sheet, a method for controlling the image forming apparatus, and a storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
To compete with the conventional printing market, a print on demand (POD) printing system has been recently discussed, which utilizes an electrophotographic image forming apparatus or an inkjet type image forming apparatus. By using the POD printing system like this, it becomes unnecessary to prepare a block copy or to execute complicated operations.
However, in order to commercialize the POD printing system described above, the following problems remain unsolved. More specifically, a problem may arise in executing printing with using a preprint sheet on which a content has been already printed.
Nowadays, there are many use cases which uses variable printing in the POD printing. “Variable printing” is a printing method in which variable data is used for only a part of print products that have been mass-printed by offset printing process. More specifically, in this case, form templates that have been mass-printed are further subjected to variable printing by appropriately changing a content or a destination according to an attribute of a recipient or address of the destination.
In executing printing using a preprint sheet, it is necessary to consider an orientation of a content printed on the preprint sheet as well as considering an orientation of a printing sheet (i.e., a portrait or a landscape orientation). The orientation of a printed content indicates which surface (front or back) of a sheet on which the content is printed (a printing surface) and in which orientation a leading edge of an image of the content is oriented.
Unless the printing surface and the content image leading edge are appropriately recognized or set, the content may be printed in a wrong orientation on a resulting print product. In this case, the resulting print product may be useless. Further, in this case, a preprint sheet which is more valuable than plain paper, may be wastefully consumed. This problem of wastefully consuming a preprint sheet may increase printing costs and may not be left unsolved.
However, different image forming apparatuses may feed and convey a sheet from a paper feed cassette in different manners and may print an image on the sheet set in different orientations. Therefore, it is difficult for an operator of an image forming apparatus to recognize how each image forming apparatus operates in detail in printing.
In addition, in recent years, an image forming apparatus has become multifunctional and a level of operational precision thereof has improved. Therefore, a recent image forming apparatus has a complex mechanism. Accordingly, it has become all the more difficult for an operator to recognize how an image forming apparatus operates in printing.
As described above, in printing using a preprint sheet, a problem may arise such that it is not easy for an operator of an image forming apparatus to recognize an appropriate orientation of setting the preprint sheet in a paper feed cassette. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-155071 discusses a printing method in which an operator is allowed to set information about an orientation of a sheet and an image forming apparatus rotates an orientation of printing image data so that an appropriate print product is produced according to the information set by the operator. According to the method discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-155071, it may become unnecessary for the operator to make efforts to appropriately set the preprint sheet, and it may be useful in improving the efficiency of an operation executed by an operator or usability of the image forming apparatus.
However, the method discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-155071 may not be useful in the following case. More specifically, there is a case in which the orientation of printing is uniquely defined due to characteristics of a post-processing apparatus which is connected to downstream of an image forming apparatus. In this case, the operator may need to correct the orientation of the preprint sheet set in a paper feed cassette to an appropriate orientation. However, as described above, it is difficult for the operator to recognize the appropriate orientation of setting a preprint sheet. Accordingly, in order to avoid setting the preprint sheet in a wrong orientation or making mistake, it may become necessary for the operator to execute test printing.